Exploring Borneo and wondering how to go from Miri to Brunei? We can help!
Miri is a major city in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is right next to the border with Brunei so it can be tempting to pop over and see Brunei as well when exploring Malaysia. Or perhaps you are on a big Borneo adventure travelling along the coast. In this case, travelling overland between Brunei and Miri is a necessary step.
While the Miri Brunei distance is not that far, this journey is more complicated than most. Since covid hit, there is no longer a bus from Miri to Brunei and information online on how to travel to Brunei from Miri can be badly out of date. We hope to make working out how to enter Brunei from Miri as easy as possible with this guide.
These instructions for how to go to Brunei from Miri rely on people’s personal experiences on the ground so after you make this journey, please let us know if anything differs from the instructions below so we can update this article. You can contact us here.
Below, I break down exactly how to get to Brunei from Miri using these accounts so you know exactly what you need to do, when, whether you are looking for a Miri to Brunei bus or a Miri to Brunei flight. This way, you will be on to more fun parts of your trip as quick as possible!
I also describe the reverse journey so you know exactly how to get from Brunei to Miri.
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Contents
Map: Miri-Brunei
Note that Miri is in Malaysia and Brunei is a separate country. So you will need to cross a border.
In this article, we assume you want to travel from Miri to Bandar Seri Begwan, the capital of Brunei, or vice versa.
The distance from Miri to Bandar Seri Begawan is about 158 kilometres and the journey takes about 2.25 hours. This is heavily dependent on traffic and road conditions, especially wait times at the border.
The border to Brunei itself is only 28 kilometres from the centre of Miri.
BEST OPTION: How To Go From Miri To Brunei
By far, the quickest and best option for travelling from Miri to Brunei is to take a private taxi.
The cheapest option is to take a combination of buses and taxis.
Here’s a summary of your options:
| Mode of transport | Duration | Best For? |
| Flight | 8 hours | People who would prefer to fly |
| Bus+Taxi | 8 hours+ | People who want the cheapest option |
| Car | 2.25 hours | People who are happy to hire a car and will be returning to Miri |
| Taxi | 2.25 hours | Anyone who wants the easiest and most straightforward way to get between Miri and Brunei |
Option 1: Miri To Brunei Flight
There are no direct flights from Miri airport to Brunei. You need to fly via somewhere else with the quickest options being via Kuala Lumpur, Kuching or Kota Kinabalu.
This makes it quite time consuming with connecting flight options starting at 5.5 hours. There are many airline choices with AirAsia having some of the best options.
Flight prices start at RM320.
On arrival, Brunei International Airport is about 10 kilometres from the city centre. There are taxis available to take you to your accommodation.
Click here to see the prices and options for your dates.
Option 2: Miri To Brunei Bus + Taxi
As mentioned above, there is no longer a bus service from Miri to Brunei (or vice versa). The service that used to run by PHLS Express has not resumed operations since the pandemic started, and it does not seem like they will.
There is no Miri bus to Brunei border either, so there is no way to get around having to take taxis for part of the journey.
Definitely set out early to make this journey so you have the best chance possible to find public transport from Miri to Brunei on as many segments as possible. Plus, for the segments where there aren’t buses, you’ll have more chance of finding the taxis you need in Brunei earlier in the day.
If you can’t find taxis for those sections, you may have to ask people around you for a ride.
The first part of travel Miri to Brunei is straightforward. Use the Grab app and get a taxi to take you to the border. They won’t be able to take you across, but they can take you to the immigration point for Malaysia. This is only about 28 kilometres and 40 minutes from the centre of Miri. It cost RM37 when I was here, but the price can vary depending on how busy the network is.
Pass through the Malaysian formalities at the border.
Once you have passed through here, you will need to walk to the Brunei side of the border which is about a kilometre. The border and this crossing are really made for cars and it is awkward without one, but it is possible to cross on foot.
This is the trickiest part of this journey since you need to walk across the border itself, and you have to hope there are taxis available at the Brunei side to help you out.
Note that when you are crossing the border, there is no wifi and Malaysian sim cards don’t work so have any documents you need.
After you deal with the Brunei formalities, look to see if there is a taxi here that you can take. If you have a Brunei sim card, you can also try ordering a taxi using the Dart app (Brunei’s version of Grab or Uber). You want to take the taxi to Kuala Belait where the buses to Seria leave. This is about 20 kilometres away and costs around BND$20.
From Kuala Belait, you can take a bus to Seria. These depart regularly until about 4pm and cost BND$1 and take about half an hour.
From Seria bus station, there is a minibus to Bandar Seri Begawan. This bus stops a lot over the 100 kilometres of this journey and can take many hours. It leaves hourly from Seria and costs BND$6. It will take you to central Bandar Seri Begawan.
It may be possible to take a more express bus. If you find one, take it! And then let us know the details so we can update these instructions.
This is complicated. Get ready to ask for help along the way and for this to end up being quite a lot of hours of travel.
Option 3: Miri To Brunei By Car
If you can find a rental company that will let you take their cars over the border and give you all necessary documentation then you can drive to Brunei.
The downside of this option is that you will probably need to drive the car back again to Miri.
This only takes about 2.25 hours depending on wait times at the border. Driving from Miri to Brunei is not hard. It’s only the border and finding a rental company that is complicated.
I found this rental company who allows driving in Brunei for an extra fee.
Click here to read more about driving in Malaysia.
Option 4: Taxi From Miri To Brunei
Regular taxis cannot take you across the border. However, it’s possible to organise a private transfer that will take you door-to-door from Miri to Brunei. This is so much easier than taking the bus and taxi combo option described above. This company may be able to help you out.
This company organises tours to Brunei from Miri so they can help you with a tour or may be able to arrange a driver to get you there as well.
If you can organise a private transfer, this is by far the easiest and quickest option.
How To Get From Brunei To Miri
If you are travelling from Brunei to Miri instead, the instructions above are still valid, you just need to reverse them.
You can also try to find a Brunei car rental company that will allow you to take cars into Malaysia or try this company for a private transfer to Miri.
Just like the reverse journey, there is no Brunei Miri bus. It’s a complicated overland journey of buses and taxis if you wish to save money.
If you wish to travel overland via bus and taxi, it’s especially important that you set out early in case you have delays at the earlier parts.
For the first part of this journey, you need to take a minibus to Seria bus station. These leave from outside the Brunei Hotel on the corner of Jalan Pemancha and Kianggeh Road. It costs BND$6. These stop a lot and can take many hours to cover the 100 kilometres to Seria. Get one early!
At the Seria Bus Station, you can take a bus to Kuala Belait. These take about 20 minutes and cost BND$1. Take it to the last stop in a parking lot.
Across the road from here, there’s a covered parking lot with a barber. This is where you can hopefully find a taxi to the border.
If you have a local sim and the Dart app (Brunei’s version of Grab or Uber), you can also try to get a taxi this way.
Once you get to the border, unless you can arrange for the taxi you take from Kuala Belait to drive you across, you’ll need to get out at the Brunei side and stamp out of the country.
You’ll then need to walk the kilometres across to the Malaysian side and stamp into Malaysia.
From here, it can be tricky to get to Miri. The easiest option is to ask people passing through here for a lift in return for some money. Or if you see anyone with phone access, ask to borrow some internet so you can order a Grab taxi.
Any time you get stuck, be quick to ask for help. The journey time can add up, so making mistakes can make it difficult to do this in one day.
Final Words
For two places so close together, it can be surprisingly difficult to travel Miri Malaysia to Brunei. Hopefully, a bus line decides to add a bus to Brunei from Miri soon to make it easier.
In the meantime, this is a place to splurge on a private transfer if you can. Flying is overly time consuming and travelling by land with bus and taxis is for the adventurous.
I hope you found this guide to how to travel to Brunei from Miri useful. Travelling on to Sabah? Find our guide to travelling from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu here or Labuan here. You can also find our complete travel guide to Brunei here and Miri here.
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
